Just Getting Started (2017 film)

Last updated
Just Getting Started
Just Getting Started Movie Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ron Shelton
Written byRon Shelton
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Barry Peterson
Edited byPaul Seydor
Music by Alex Wurman
Production
companies
Distributed by Broad Green Pictures
Release date
  • December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)
Running time
91 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million [2]
Box office$7.6 million [2]

Just Getting Started is a 2017 American action comedy film directed and written by Ron Shelton, his first feature film since Hollywood Homicide (2003). The film stars Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Rene Russo, Elizabeth Ashley and Glenne Headly. [3] The plot follows an ex-FBI agent who must put aside his personal feud with a former mob lawyer at a retirement home when the mafia comes to kill the pair. It was released in the United States on December 8, 2017, by Broad Green Pictures, was panned by critics and was a box office bomb, grossing just $7 million against its $22 million budget. [4]

Contents

Plot

A New Jersey woman becomes livid when she sees an ad for the luxury resort-style senior living Villa Capri in Palm Springs, California, and she sees photos of William Dupree in it. Calling her son, she tells him where the man who put his dad in prison is, asking for his head for this year's Christmas gift.

Defense lawyer 'Duke Diver', who once defended the heads of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations, now manages Vila Capri. Leo, a former FBI agent, immediately makes himself known when he arrives at the resort, taking Duke's reserved parking spot.

Surprisingly having paid in cash in full, Duke has Leo invited to that night's poker match. Arriving to his villa blond Margarite invites herself over. As he goes to straighten up his bedroom, he finds Roberta in lingerie. As he's escorting Margarite home, she reminds him it's poker night. Rushing back to excuse himself to Roberta, he then gets to poker.

Leo repeatedly beats Duke at every competition, starting with poker. Duke is initially threatened by the newcomer's activities with the ladies, taking his three to dinner and reciting poetry.

Duke challenges Leo to 18 holes of golf, and during the match a rattlesnake hidden in his golf bag essentially ends the match. We later are privy to a call between the New Jersey woman scolding her would-be hitman for using a snake.

At the villa, dressed as Santa as always, Duke has a skirmish with a corporate Santa, and Leo comes to his aid. Afterwards at the bar, the two see Suzie and a very drunk Duke hits on Suzie. She shoots him down and Leo takes him home.

The following morning, the regional director of the resort chain turns out to be Suzie Quinces, the same woman they first spotted after poker, the one impressed by Leo's reciting poetry and that Leo had hit on. Her job is to evaluate the resort's management of expenses. She's shown different activities offered, including tango, tai chi and sex workshops.

On the grounds Suzie comes across Leo, who's landscape painting. Duke comes up, perturbed and while they are talking, a coyote starts to carry off her dog Romeo. Leo grazes it with a bullet so it drops it, and he whisks Romeo and Suzie off to the vet.

On their return, Leo proposes a series of competitions to Duke including Chess, ping pong, weightlifting, throwing cards into a hat and limbo, which Leo loses because of his back.

At the Christmas party, Duke accompanies Johnny Mathis on piano, his friend and Suzie's crush. When Leo asks her to dance, Duke gets mad and challenges him to a round of golf on Christmas day.

During the competition, Duke's buddies plan on helping him win. However, an explosion on the big golf causes Duke to run. He realizes the mafia has found him and is attempting to kill him. Duke and Leo must work together to defeat the mafia and save Duke's life.

Looking at security camera footage, 'Willie' William Dupree aka Duke recognises Oscar Bruno, son of the mafioso he put away. Tracking him down to a motel, they sleep through their stakeout. The next morning, while snooping around a strip club, their rental van blows up and they are lured into the desert. Oscar offers to trade Duke for Suzie, but they overpower him.

Finally, Leo and Suzie take over Villa Capri, and Duke is relocated, now manager of a Florida resort.

Cast

Production

On May 14, 2016, it was announced that Broad Green Pictures would co-produce the film under the title Villa Capri with Entertainment One, with direction by Ron Shelton, starring Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones. [7] [8] [9] On June 9, 2016, it was announced that Rene Russo was cast in a leading role alongside Freeman and Jones. [10] Filming began in New Mexico on August 15, 2016. [5] In September 2017, the film was retitled from Villa Capri (not to be mistaken for Chicagoland production company) to Just Getting Started. [11]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Just Getting Started was released on December 8, 2017, alongside the wide expansion of The Disaster Artist , and was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,146 theaters in opening weekend. [12] It ended up debuting to $3.2 million, finishing 10th at the box office. When adjusting for inflation, it was the 21st worst opening of all-time. [13] In its second weekend the film dropped 69% to $978,923, finishing 14th. [14] In its third week the film made $22,092 from 48 theaters, dropping 98%. [15]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 4% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 2.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A thoroughly unfunny misfire, Just Getting Started manages the incredible feat of wasting more than a century of combined acting experience from its three talented leads." [16] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 21 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale. [18]

Joe Leydon of Variety panned the film: "Some bad movies trigger swells of anger and outrage, while others prompt industrial-grade snark and scorn. And then there are leaden clunkers like Just Getting Started that provoke an ineffable sense of sadness as one considers how much time, money and talent has been squandered on something so thoroughly useless." [19] Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: ""The film is ingratiating enough, but its main value is to make us eager for another, more substantial Shelton movie long before another decade has slipped by." [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Freeman</span> American actor and producer (born 1937)

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, producer, and narrator. Throughout a career spanning five decades and multiple film genres, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award. He has also been awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2008, an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2011, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2012, and Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rene Russo</span> American actress and model (born 1954)

Rene Marie Russo is an American actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model in the 1970s, appearing on magazine covers such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan. She made her film debut in the 1989 comedy Major League, and rose to international prominence in a number of thrillers and action films throughout the 1990s, including Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Get Shorty (1995), Ransom (1996), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capri</span> Island in Italy

Capri is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The largest settlement on the island is the town of Capri. The island has been a resort since the time of the Roman Republic.

<i>Deal</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Gil Cates Jr.

Deal is a 2008 poker drama film starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Shannon Elizabeth. It follows the former poker player tutoring a younger player (Harrison). The film's climax is a fictional World Poker Tour championship.

<i>Get Shorty</i> (film) 1995 comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

Get Shorty is a 1995 American gangster comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Scott Frank, based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name. The film stars John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Delroy Lindo, James Gandolfini, Dennis Farina, and Danny DeVito. It follows Chili Palmer (Travolta), a Miami mobster and loan shark who inadvertently gets involved in Hollywood feature film production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Stan</span> Romanian and American actor (born 1982)

Sebastian Stan is a Romanian–American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and including the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Freeman on screen and stage</span>

American actor and producer Morgan Freeman has had a prolific career on film, television and on the stage. His film debut was as an uncredited character in the Sidney Lumet–directed drama The Pawnbroker in 1964. Freeman also made his stage debut in the same year by appearing in the musical Hello, Dolly! He followed this with further stage appearances in The Niggerlovers (1967), The Dozens (1969), Exhibition (1969), and the musical Purlie (1970–1971). He played various characters on the children's television series The Electric Company (1971–1977). Freeman subsequently appeared in the films Teachers in 1984, and Marie in 1985 before making his breakthrough with 1987's Street Smart. His role earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later he appeared in war film Glory (1989), and starred as Hoke Coleburn in the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Freeman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in the latter and also earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

<i>Captain America: Civil War</i> 2016 Marvel Studios film

Captain America: Civil War is a 2016 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from a screenplay by the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America alongside an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, Martin Freeman, William Hurt, and Daniel Brühl. In Captain America: Civil War, disagreement over international oversight of the Avengers fractures the team into two opposing factions—one led by Steve Rogers and the other by Tony Stark (Downey).

<i>London Has Fallen</i> 2016 American action thriller film directed by Babak Najafi

London Has Fallen is a 2016 American political action thriller film directed by Babak Najafi and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Chad St. John, and Christian Gudegast. It is the second installment in the Has Fallen film series, the sequel to Antoine Fuqua's 2013 film Olympus Has Fallen and stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman, with Alon Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Sean O'Bryan, Waleed Zuaiter, and Charlotte Riley in supporting roles. The film follows a plot to assassinate the world leaders of the G7 as they attend the British Prime Minister's funeral in London and Secret Service agent Mike Banning's efforts to protect United States President Benjamin Asher from being killed by Islamic terrorists.

<i>Avengers: Endgame</i> 2019 Marvel Studios film

Avengers: Endgame is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In the film, the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos's actions in Infinity War.

<i>Mechanic: Resurrection</i> 2016 American film

Mechanic: Resurrection is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Dennis Gansel and written by Philip Shelby and Tony Mosher, with a story by Shelby and Brian Pittman. It is the sequel to the 2011 film The Mechanic, which was a remake of the 1972 film of the same name. The film stars Jason Statham, Tommy Lee Jones, Jessica Alba and Michelle Yeoh.

<i>The Disaster Artist</i> (film) 2017 film directed by James Franco

The Disaster Artist is a 2017 American biographical comedy-drama film starring, co-produced and directed by James Franco. It was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's 2013 non-fiction book of the same title. The film chronicles an unlikely friendship between aspiring actors Tommy Wiseau and Sestero that results in the production of Wiseau's 2003 film The Room, widely considered one of the worst films ever made. The Disaster Artist stars brothers James and Dave Franco as Wiseau and Sestero, respectively, alongside a supporting cast featuring Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, Jacki Weaver, and Seth Rogen.

<i>Before I Fall</i> (film) 2017 American teen drama film

Before I Fall is a 2017 American science fantasy teen drama film directed by Ry Russo-Young and written by Maria Maggenti and Gina Prince-Bythewood, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Lauren Oliver. The film stars Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Elena Kampouris, Diego Boneta and Jennifer Beals.

<i>Mollys Game</i> 2017 film by Aaron Sorkin

Molly's Game is a 2017 American biographical film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Molly Bloom. It stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd, Joe Keery, Brian D'Arcy James, and Bill Camp.

<i>The Most Hated Woman in America</i> 2017 film by Tommy OHaver

The Most Hated Woman in America is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed by Tommy O'Haver and written by O'Haver and Irene Turner. It stars Melissa Leo as Madalyn Murray O'Hair.

<i>Ad Astra</i> (film) 2019 American science fiction film directed by James Gray

Ad Astra is a 2019 American psychological science fiction film produced, co-written, and directed by James Gray. Starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland, it follows an astronaut who ventures into space in search of his lost father, whose obsessive quest to discover intelligent alien life at all costs threatens the Solar System and all life on Earth. The project was announced in early 2016, with Gray saying he wanted to feature "the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie". Pitt signed on to star in April 2017 and the rest of the cast joined later that year. Filming began around Los Angeles that August, lasting through October.

<i>The Spy Who Dumped Me</i> 2018 American action comedy film

The Spy Who Dumped Me is a 2018 American action comedy film directed by Susanna Fogel and co-written by Fogel and David Iserson. The film stars Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux, Sam Heughan, Hasan Minhaj, and Gillian Anderson and follows two best friends who are chased by assassins through Europe after one of their ex-boyfriends turns out to be a CIA agent. The title is a play on the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. It was filmed in Amsterdam and Budapest from July to September of 2017. The film was released in the United States on August 3, 2018, by Lionsgate and grossed more than $75 million, while receiving mixed reviews from critics, who questioned the film's intended genre and tone but praised the performances.

<i>The Comeback Trail</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by George Gallo

The Comeback Trail is a 2020 American crime comedy film directed by George Gallo and written by Gallo and Josh Posner, based on the 1982 film of the same name by Harry Hurwitz. It stars Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman, Zach Braff, Emile Hirsch, Eddie Griffin, Kate Katzman, and Blerim Destani.

<i>The Burial</i> (film) 2023 American film by Maggie Betts

The Burial is a 2023 American legal drama film directed by Maggie Betts and written by Betts and Doug Wright. It is loosely based on the true story of lawyer Willie E. Gary and his client Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe's lawsuit against the Loewen funeral company, as documented in the 1999 New Yorker article of the same name by Jonathan Harr. It stars Jamie Foxx as Gary, Tommy Lee Jones as O'Keefe, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, and Bill Camp.

<i>Finestkind</i> 2023 American film by Brian Helgeland

Finestkind is a 2023 American crime drama thriller film written and directed by Brian Helgeland and starring Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega and Tommy Lee Jones.

References

  1. ↑ "Just Getting Started". AMC Theatres . Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Just Getting Started (2017)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  3. ↑ Otterson, Joe (June 9, 2017). "Glenn Headly, 'Dick Tracy' and 'Lonesome Dove' Star, Dies at 62". Variety . Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  4. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony. "Tommy Lee Jones-Morgan Freeman Action Comedy 'Villa Capri' Relocates To Thanksgiving". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "US Briefs: 'Villa Capri' ready for New Mexico shoot" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "'American Horror Story' Star Kristen Rakes Joins 'Villa Capri'". The Hollywood Reporter . 28 September 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  7. ↑ McNary, Dave (14 May 2016). "Broad Green Buys Morgan Freeman-Tommy Lee Jones' Comedy 'Villa Capri'" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones Team Up for Action Comedy 'Villa Capri' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . 10 May 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  9. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (14 May 2016). "Broad Green Checks Into Morgan Freeman-Tommy Lee Jones Comedy 'Villa Capri'; Pic To Open Aug. 2017 – Cannes" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  10. ↑ Busch, Anita (9 June 2016). "Rene Russo Negotiating To Join Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones In 'Villa Capri'" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Volkov, Anton Volkov (September 13, 2017). "'Villa Capri' Is Now 'Just Getting Started' – First Trailer This Week". Trailer Track. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ McNary, Dave (December 6, 2017). "'Coco' Heading for Third Consecutive U.S. Box Office Victory". Variety . Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 8, 2017). "'Coco' Topping Another Sleepy Weekend Of Holdovers & Awards Season Breakouts Before 'Last Jedi' Takes Over B.O." Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  14. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 17, 2017). "'The Last Jedi' Opening To $219M: How Disney Continues To Win With The 'Star Wars' Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Just Getting Started (2017)". The Numbers . Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Just Getting Started (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved February 4, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  17. ↑ "Just Getting Started reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  18. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 8, 2017). "'Coco' Topping Another Sleepy Weekend Of Holdovers & Awards Season Breakouts Before 'Last Jedi' Takes Over B.O." Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  19. ↑ Leydon, Joe (8 December 2017). "Film Review: 'Just Getting Started'". Variety .
  20. ↑ "'Just Getting Started': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . 8 December 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.